


Letting Go

by funnyhowthatis



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: F/F, team: adena has been dying to kiss kat since day one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 16:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11650152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnyhowthatis/pseuds/funnyhowthatis
Summary: Five times Adena held herself back, and the one time she didn't.





	Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

> These two have stolen my heart.

_i. Apartment_

It was the way that Kat smiled at her, it was the way that Kat held her eyes a second too long. Was it her imagination, or did Kat sit too close? Did she look away only to look back and find Kat watching her?

Adena would deny it, but as she had lit each candle before Kat arrived, she had wondered. As the candles began to take life around her, she felt her own heart flickering in her chest, thinking of the way Kat had so openly challenged her, but with what warmth in her eyes.

She had to know, before she thought too much about this.

_ What is your sexual orientation? _

_ Out and proud hetero. Sorry. _

What had she been expecting? What would she have said if Kat said otherwise?

Their conversations continued, and even knowing what Kat had said, she could still feel something in the air, couldn’t help but be intoxicated by the affection in Kat’s gaze.

As Kat stood to leave, Adena brought a finger to her own neck. She would deny thinking, even for a moment, what it would have felt like to have Kat’s touch there.

It suddenly occurred to her that she might never see Kat again. She was flying out the next day, and then, well, what excuse would she --

_Kat_ _\--_

What was she doing? She wanted to say, can I call you when I return? Or, can I photograph you sometime? Anything, anything, to feel Kat look at her again the way she was in this moment. She considered saying what she really meant, but then quickly thought against it, saying instead the next thing that came to mind.

_ You can run the article. _

Adena wondered for a second if she would regret this, and then saw the grin spreading across Kat’s face, and knew she never would.

After Kat had gone, and Adena was left alone to finish packing for her journey, she found herself thinking back to her own words.  _ You can run the article. _

She wondered if Kat would guess this meant  _ I am aching to see you again. _

  
_ ii. Scarlet  _

So much had happened since she had last seen Kat, and yet through it all she had found herself thinking of Kat. Waiting now, leaning on the front desk, she heard the sound of Kat’s relieved voice,  _ Adena, it’s so good to hear your voice _ , playing over and over in her mind. She thought of the picture that she hadn’t been able to think of a response for, before everything else had fallen to pieces and she had had to ditch her phone. She had to respect Kat’s boundaries -- she was straight, and Adena had to respect that she wasn’t interested. She had told herself,  _ this doesn’t mean what you think it means, it can’t. _

But the minute she saw Kat absolutely beaming at her, the minute she embraced her and felt how their bodies fit together, she knew she would regret not saying anything, even if she were misreading the situation.

_ I wanted you to know I received the picture. _

Her heart jumped as Kat stumbled over an embarrassed explanation. Adena wondered if her next words betrayed the full extent of the affection she held for Kat in this moment.

_ It wasn’t stupid. Maybe a little funny. But you touched me here, too. _

She could see and feel the way Kat hung onto every word and felt a tugging as they continued to hold one another’s gaze. She felt the words rise up in her, and a desire to reach out, to touch Kat’s hand, and she thought she just might -- 

Kat’s phone rang. This broke the silence saturated with words unsaid, and Adena silently thanked whoever had called. 

_ Anyway... _

She had regained her composure. Kat was straight. Or at least she believed herself to be, and it was best for both of them if Adena gave her space. But she couldn’t resist --

_ Kat, you should come, too. _

And the look on Kat’s face... Adena wondered if Kat knew how much she was pulling on her heart.

 

_i ii. Gallery_

Adena could feel Kat’s eyes on her through the night. She was focused on speaking with the other artists and long time friends who were attending the gallery showing, but in the back of her mind she wondered what was taking Kat so long to come over and speak with her. Maybe she had been right this whole time, maybe she had read the signals correctly, maybe Kat was starting to realize -- but, no, this line of thinking was dangerous. She had been down this road with straight women before. So she remained focused.

It wasn’t until later that Kat approached her, looked as if she was going to say something, say  _ it _ . Adena would deny it, but she held her breath, waiting for what she thought, she was sure, would be Kat telling her -- but no. She was wrong. 

Instead, they stood side to side, looking at one of her pieces. They weren’t close enough to be touching, but leaned into each other’s personal space. It suddenly occurred to Adena that Kat had most likely seen Coco’s kiss.

She looked up at Kat, longed to say,  _ Coco is an old ex, it’s complicated, but the kiss meant nothing. _ She opened her mouth, and then couldn’t think of a way to explain why she was sharing this information, unless she were to follow it with  _ Kat, I’m only thinking of you. _

No, she couldn’t do this to Kat. Adena resolved in this moment that if anything were to ever happen between them, it had to be Kat to make the first move.

So, instead of speaking, Adena bit her lip and leaned an inch closer. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Kat’s flushed grin spread a little wider, and couldn’t help its echo from spreading on her own lips.

 

_i v. Scarlet_

Walking arm to arm, she felt so at ease with Kat. Could she have sent this request over email, or talked to her over the phone? Yes. But that wasn’t her style, especially when the possibility of seeing Kat again was thrown into the mix.

She wrung her hands, trying to find the right words to tell Kat without really telling her -- 

_ Coco has to go back to France, but I want to stay. _

She was caught in Kat’s eyes, and her heart raced at the excitement it seemed Kat didn’t even try to hide.

She wanted to say more. She wanted to make it clear that she and Coco had been something once, but not any more. She wanted to say that there was only one person she wanted, and that person -- but she couldn’t. It wasn’t right. Kat had to be the one.

_ Anyway... _

Adena wondered how many more times she would have break these pauses, have to pretend neither of them wanted to say more.

 

_v.  Boardwalk_

Adena took in the art of everything around her. The light of the moon, its shimmering reflection on the dark river waters, the couples around them holding each other, the solemn notes and the quivering violin strings, and Kat. 

Kat standing in the lamplight, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be caught in the music. Adena looked up at her and longed to reach up, to stroke Kat’s cheek. She eyed the man next to them holding his girlfriend, and couldn’t help but think what it would feel like to be carried along by the music in Kat’s arms. If Kat were to shift slightly, step behind her, put her arms around her waist and hold her close. If Kat’s body were pressed tightly up against Adena’s back, and maybe her chin resting on Adena’s shoulder, and maybe she would kiss Adena’s neck, and maybe Adena would turn her head slightly and --

Adena looked away, looked back to the violinist. It was getting harder and harder not to think about Kat in this way, harder and harder to stop herself from reaching out.

 

_i.  Doorstep_

She opened the door and felt the wind knocked out of her. She had thought it was over, that it would be impossible to go back.

But here Kat was, with the apology Adena needed, and the letter. Adena stared in amazed disbelief at the letter, too overwhelmed to read it, instead seeing words of praise here and there jumping out at her. 

And now here Kat was, looking at her as if she were the most precious thing on the planet, laying her heart out before her, and Adena wasn’t imagining it. She thought she might burst at the pounding in her chest and the warmth that Kat spread.

She was soaring she was soaring and then the words --

_ I think -- I think I really like you. _

And Adena let herself go.


End file.
